Excerpts from "Born In The Wrong Country"

Paranoia, How To & America's Flaws -- p. 8 

Looking into this wide spectrum of things and the color wheel at play, this massive evolving revolving high-tech scheme of things that spins throughout our lives, there is something about the colors that I see which disturbs me. Things may be the same color, perhaps it is the lighting that may be off, and also what I hear now gets on my nerves more than it did when I was younger, and the smell of things really gets to me now much more than it did in the yesterdays of my emergence. 

Great news, it's not me; it is this country that is making me feel this way, and do you know why? Okay, let's begin with this government, our nation. It doesn't seem as if this is really a kinder, gentler nation, not at all, and for Americans living in the United States of America, well, it seems as though our times are much more uncertain, much more chaotic, and our government doesn't seem to be in real giving mood--at least for it's citizens. 

Jesus Is Not Coming Back Right Now--Take Care Of Yourself! -- p.27 

........... So let's try and be very reasonable, let's try and use the logic at hand, and let's try to understand, that Jesus suffered enough, and not only did He suffer, He suffered immensely, and did so at the hands of human beings like you. So ask yourself, if you were Him, would you come back after the way that you were treated, and after what the human race did to Him the first time, tell me, would you come back? No pun intended, but I myself wouldn't be dying to come back. ............. 

The Brainwashing of Americanism and Religion -- p. 52 

We saw that on Sixty Minutes twice on CBS in 2003 about the bread lines in this country, and then you have those other countries where the governments are poor, so their people are even worse off. 

http://www.democraticunderground.com/ ... ll&address=105x138934  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/08/60II/main535732.shtml

People need and every day they cry out, like when someone is crying out for love, as love is a cry that people need more than the desire, so is the desperate need of their hunger, of thirst, of clothing, of shelter, and of their happiness. America's people are crying out for this help much as the same as people cry out for love. They're saying show us that you care, show us what you are willing to do for us, for we have trusted this government to take care of us. No one is listening to the American people, but billions of dollars continue to flow out of this country faster than the Mississippi River. 

Medical Terrorism, Modern-Day Slavery & Discrimination -- P. 67 

As far as I know, my discrimination started in the grammar school that I attended, continued on to high school, and followed me on to the University of Connecticut, then continued on here in New York City. When you are considered Black, a person of color, light or dark, an epileptic and a gay man, well, people in this country have a tendency to look at you in a different light, and that light doesn't always shine in your favor. One thing about being Black is that you're definitely noticed, most Blacks cannot hide that fact. 

One can hide the fact that they are an epileptic, well at least until that most unfortunate moment comes when a seizure grabs you, when it makes itself known by making you feel as if you're being choked, strangled, attacked, violated, and frightening you too, as you're being shaken uncontrollably, as if you are being held by someone or some horrible creature that you've never seen, can't see, really would rather not see, but for some reason doesn't like you at all, and has for unknown reasons decided that your body is a perfect place for this disease to harbor itself, so that it will be able to raise it's ugly head seemingly at will.  ............. 

Let Us Not Lose Focus on Saving Lives -- p.134 

The 1961 speech to which I'm referring included a few words that set this nation's thoughts a fire, for in this inaugural address part of what he said was: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country." At this point he received thunderous applause, and I believe that it went on to become one of the most quoted lines of an inaugural address. 

As a very young man just about to enter his teens, I too thought that this man possessed a unique charm, quite fascinating, and I did like his speech then. Now having grown much older, wiser, and having matured a great deal since then, and even though I still find that his charm was fascinating, I must now say, very wrong, Mr. President. For what seemed so appropriate then does not seem to hold the fire that it once did, at least not to me as an African-American Person of Color and citizen of this country. What and how I see things today is very different, for what I see is quite troubling, so troubling that it has caused many Black American men and women of color to rethink words and acts of the past by this government, and by you. You see that the time is past due, .................. 

Candles and Tears -- p.148 

Candles are so beautiful; it is a very simple way to shed a little light, and to share a glow of warmth. Most candles drip, melting the wax down their sides as they melt away.  While they are melting some people make wonderful-looking candles that have been melted down by having them purposely drip over things, slowly making an artistic design. Wax is beautiful and can be molded into many different shapes and forms, and color can be added. When I look at a candle dripping and I am in deep thought, I say that it must be crying, and when thinking very deeply what I see is more sadness than the joy, for I think of love when the joy drips out of it. When thinking of death, as when life is sucked away ...  

If It’s Done Out of Love -- p.169   

If it’s done out of love, then why should anyone care? 

For what I need and what you need are just two worlds apart, 

so all you have to do is try and understand, that if I haven’t judged 

you for everything you think, then why should you now judge me 

because of the way I think? There comes a time when people should 

have some respect even though they haven’t used it, or perhaps 

they just forgot.  In any case you should remember when we were 

growing up, a time when you loved us oh so much then, 

or was that just pretending or were you really our friends? ............ 

e-mail addresses: mleenor@wrongcountry.com;mleenor@earthlink.net;mleenor@gmail.com